The detection and localization of microorganisms and specific bacterial colonies which are identified with dental caries or oral diseases are a matter of importance. It has been found that Streptococcus mutans is identified with dental caries, and selective medium has been discovered for the specific identification of Streptococcus mutans from human dental plaque through the use of selective agents which allow the undiminished recovery of the Streptococcus mutans with maximum inhibition (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,200, issued June 17, 1975). In addition, methods for identification of Streptococcus mutans colonies employing other oral streptococci also have been discovered (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,969, issued Sept. 2, 1975).
In the detection and identification of the specific sites of bacterial colonies on the surface of teeth and the soft tissues of the mouth, various techniques of identification have been employed. For example, bacteriological probes have been applied to individual sites on the oral surfaces of the teeth or on the oral surface of the mouth, in order to sample bacterial content, and, thereafter, using normal identification methods to identify the specific bacteria taken from the specific sites. In another technique, impressions of the teeth are made with dental materials. Both techniques have been used in research laboratories; however, both techniques are tedious and are not suitable for routine clinical use by a dentist or for screening a large number of patients, and, therefore, there exists a need for a device to provide for the replication of dental flora on the surfaces of the teeth or the soft tissue of the mouth, to detect and to identify the sites of the microorganisms in a simpler, easier, less complex and less costly manner.